1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a printed circuit board connector, and more specifically to a printed circuit board connector for connecting at least two printed circuit boards, which is particularly suitable, when used, for an automatic mass-production assembly process line.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As is well known, there are printed circuit board connectors of various kinds for connecting one circuit board to the other circuit board. Two circuit boards are connected to each other by connecting appropriately formed printed contact areas of a first board to those of a second board through the board connector. The conventional circuit board connector includes usually plural pairs of elastic leaf-spring contacts longitudinally arranged within a connector body. The spring contacts are fixed to the connector body by pressure fitting the spring contacts to round or square holes formed in the connector body or by molding the connector body together with the spring contacts previously arranged in a mold. Each spring contact has an elastically bent portion and a non-elastical straight portion. When connecting two boards, one end of a first circuit board is inserted into the board connector so that the elastically bent portions of the spring contacts are brought into pressure contact with the contact areas of the first board. On the other hand, the free ends of the non-elastical straight portions of the spring contacts are directly soldered to other contact areas of a second board to be connected to the first board.
In other words, the first board can be connected to the board connector only by inserting the board into the connector; however, the second board should be soldered to the spring contacts arranged in the board connector. Further, after soldering, the three elements of the first board, the second board, and the board connector should be fixed by the use of appropriate fastening members.
Therefore, there exist problems in that the assembling work of the board connector itself is complicated and therefore costly. Further, the connection work of two separate circuit boards via the board connector is also complicated and therefore costly. In particular, in connecting a number of circuit boards via prior-art board connectors in an automatic mass-production assembly process line, the above-mentioned drawbacks are serious.
The arrangement of the prior-art circuit board connector will be described in further detail hereinafter with reference to the attached drawings.